


You Can't Hurry Love

by RocketRaccoon15



Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (Comics), Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies), Guardians of the Galaxy - All Media Types, Marvel
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gamora Whump, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Nightmares, Protective Peter, Romance, dance, peter whump
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-03
Updated: 2016-08-04
Packaged: 2018-07-29 03:05:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,875
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7667791
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RocketRaccoon15/pseuds/RocketRaccoon15
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A few months after the battle with Ronan, the Guardians continue on their journey through the galaxy, but what will happen when a romance blooms between two of the members?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. You Can't Hurry Love

It had been a few months, since the battle with Ronan. The Milano was fixed, all of their criminal records; expunged, and a new team of 'heroes', a family, was formed. Pretty happy, right? Actually, no. Although most of the Guardians had gradually gained the light back in their eyes, some of them, one in particular, hadn't.

Peter danced in the room below the cockpit, as he blasted the music up to Rocket and Groot as they piloted the fixed ship.

"Turn that down, Quill!" Rocket yelled down.

Peter ignored him and kept dancing. He then looked over at Gamora, who was seated on the couch closest to him, staring off into space. He smiled. He moonwalked over to her and held out his hand. _"You can't hurry love. No, you just have to wait. She said love don't come easy. It's a game of give and take."_ He started to sing along. Gamora shot him a dirty look. Needless to say, he backed off. _Lesson #1: Don't piss of the most dangerous woman in the galaxy._ He learned that a few weeks ago, when she almost broke his arm. He still didn't understand that day. All he did was say she looked beautiful! Why was that so bad?

Whether or not it was bad, something still wasn't adding up. Although Peter didn't know Gamora as well as he hoped to by now, he knew one thing; something was wrong. He sat next to her on the grungy blue couch. "You okay?" He asked.

"Fine. You need to replace this couch. It's disgusting." She got up, only to feel a hand securing hers. At first, she did not think about it. But when she did, she couldn't deny that it felt good to have someone there for her. What was she saying? She didn't need anybody! She could overcome anything on her own, even if it was PTSD from the battle. She yanked her arm away and slapped Peter across his cheek. He immediately started to rub it, as if it would make the pain go away. "Touch me again, I will kick you. And where I aim, won't feel very good." She pivoted on her foot and walked towards the cabins, but when she reached hers, something didn't feel right. It felt like her heart sunk into the pit of her stomach. Why did she feel this way? Did she just do something she regretted? I mean, Peter was only trying to help her. Why did she think that was so bad? Nevermind. What happened, happened. There's a reason for everything, right? No matter what, she couldn't think straight. Maybe, a hot shower would help.

* * *

Peter was still rubbing his cheek and getting his mind through what just happened. Again, what did he do that mad her so frickin' mad? He was only trying to be a good friend...right? Or was he trying to be something more? What is he talking about? He doesn't like Gamora in that way. At least not with the way she acts towards him all the time. Then again, maybe that's what makes her so much more interesting. And interesting was dangerous to Peter. It was clear that she did not like him at all. She always gave him dirty looks, and hits him! But, I guess she wouldn't be Gamora, if she didn't go five minutes without hitting somebody. But, then, there were those rare times. She would smile at him. There was nothing dangerous about the smiles, they came from pure happiness. But, then again, it seemed like she was rarely happy.

Gamora turned the knob, that sat underneath the shower nozzle. She closed her eyes for a moment, thinking about why she slapped Peter. Maybe, she secretly liked the attention she was getting from Peter. But, if that was the case, he was a womanizer. Maybe, her mind try to snap her back to reality. And furthermore, who would ever dare to love and care for an assassin? She did nothing but, kill innocent people for the majority of her life. Who could love that? Yet, she didn't really know the meaning of love, or if it existed. Was it just a myth in the stories her mother and father once told her? She opened her eyes to see that the water coming from the shower nozzle wasn't water, it was blood. She screamed. Before she knew it, she was back in her clothes, but she wasn't in the shower anymore. She was at the Sanctuary, standing next to her fath...Thanos. Four people were kneeling before them. What was strange; they looked oddly familiar. It wasn't then, until she realized from the one covered in fur from head to toe, to the one who she had slapped this morning, that they were the Guardians! Her...friends. But why were they here? Why was _she_ here? Thanos handed her beloved Godslayer to her. _Kill_ them. A voice echoed. "No. No. No! I won't! I'm not going to do it!" She yelled, as the mad titan, laughed evilly. _If you won't, I will._ The voice echoed, again. The next thing she knew, Sakaarans gathered around her friends. "No, no!" She screamed. She saw her friends, lying limp on the ground. A screech came from her but, it sounded so inhuman.

Suddenly, she was back in the bathroom, in the shower. No more blood, just the purest of all clear water. She was on the floor of the shower. She heard the door open but, couldn't bear to look. She heard footsteps, faintly rushing towards her and the shower knob turning. That's weird, if the shower was turned off why are there water droplets still pouring down her face. She felt a towel being placed on top of her. She couldn't help but, look up at who was helping her. It was Peter. Of all the people on this ship, it was Peter. She looked at him and was shocked with the expression. He had just saw her naked and there was nothing sexual or flirtatious shown in his eyes. Instead, there was fear and hurt. Why was he so upset? Maybe, he finally saw her for her true self. But then, why was he helping her?

He walked her to her cabin and wiped the water droplets from her eyes. It wasn't until then, she realized she was crying. "Are you okay?" He asked. Gamora looked around to see the rest of the Guardians looking at her with the same amount of concern. She nodded and the rest of the Guardians, knowing that Peter could handle her, hopefully, left Peter to talk to her.

* * *

When they entered her cabin, Gamora sat on her bed. There wasn't much in there, besides a queen-size bed, fitted with plain white sheets and a dresser. Peter hesitantly sat next to her, hoping that she wouldn't slap him, again. "What happened?" He asked. "I was listening to my music, then I heard you scream, twice. I thought, something really bad had happened." She gave him a dirty look...again. "Not that, what happened to you wasn't bad, but, I thought it was worse."

Gamora sighed, knowing she had kept this from her team long enough. "PTSD." Peter looked her in the eyes. "I have been feeling guilty of what I did, most of my life. Now, after we defeated Ronan, it seems like that guilt only grew."

"Shouldn't have it been the other way around? Shouldn't you have felt less guilty?" Peter asked, confused.

"I don't know."

"I'm guessing this had something to do with the whole bathroom thing."

"I'm still confused on why you, of all people, came to help me."

"I'll explain, when you do." Gamora rolled her eyes.

"Do you have to act so childish all the time?" Peter just stared at her. Gamora sighed. "I don't know exactly what happened. It was some kind of vision. First, I opened my eyes to see I was showering in blood. Then, I was standing next to my fath...Thanos. Then, you guys were kneeling before us." She started to talk faster with each sentence she said, as tears spilled from her eyes. "He gave me my Godslayer and told me to kill you guys. I said no and he did it for me. Then, I seemed to be back in reality." When she stopped talking she noticed her towel was soaked in tears.

Peter hesitantly leaned forward and wrapped his arms around her. "You're safe, I promise." Gamora was shocked by his actions but, soon returned the gesture. For a moment, they just sat there in each other's embrace. Peter could tell Gamora was waiting for his explanation. "I don't know why I did it. I guess I just wanted to be the one to make sure you were okay. I knew Drax, Rocket and Groot would've done it in a heartbeat, but for some reason I felt like it had to be me."

Gamora chuckled, tears still weakly leaking from her eyes, and placed her head hesitantly on Peter's shoulder. "You are so dramatic, Peter."

"Me?" Peter looked at her. "What about you? You hit me for no reason!"

Gamora chuckled again. "I have my reasons, but I will not share them with you." At least, not yet...


	2. Troubled Times, Troubled Nights

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gamora is confused about why Peter cared for her so much after her panic attack. But when she has a nightmare, Peter, once again, comes to comfort her.

It's been days since Peter and Gamora talked, maybe even weeks. The only reason they would talk was if they were on a mission. They hadn't talked about what happened between them that one night. It was still strange to think that someone would ever care for an assassin. But, just because they didn't talk to each other, didn't mean they didn't communicate in other ways. They would do small things, such as smile at each other when nobody was looking or walk beside each other as their fingertips brushed. At some points Gamora would open her mouth to say something and nothing would come out. But, the weird silent treatment didn't last for long.

* * *

Gamora lay on her bed with her knees curled up to her chest, in a deep sleep. She was dreaming about Peter, about all of the adventures they had so far, about the time they almost kissed on Knowhere, when he saved her from the freezing cold vacuum of space, those multiple times when he tried to get her to dance, when he helped her out of the shower when she had a panic attack. She dreamt about how comfortable she felt around him, how safe he made her feel, even though she wouldn't admit it out loud. "Peter." She muttered. A smile formed on her lips. Suddenly, the dream quickly turned dark. The smile on her lips flipped upside down to a frown, and she started to toss and turn, as images of Peter going through complete hell appeared through her mind. "Peter." She muttered a little louder, as her eyes squeezed tightly.

Peter lay on his bed, almost asleep. He was listening to his mix tapes. He heard Gamora mutter his name, mind you his bed is right next to hers on the opposite side of the thin, metal wall. At first he thought she was calling for him. He got out of bed and walked next door to her room. The door wasn't shut all the way. Without looking inside, he made a soft knock on the door. "Gamora? You okay?" No response. Maybe, she was just dreaming. The next thing he heard was Gamora's bed squeaking. He peaked in the room and saw her tossing and turn, viciously. He ran into the room, whispering her name, trying to calm her down. Now, she was starting to yell his name. He put a hand over her mouth and used his other hand to restrain her wrist from hitting him as she flailed around. "Gamora." He whispered. He started to softly shake her. "Gamora." He whispered, again. She shot up on her bed. It was clear that she was sweating, as her hair and black tank top were soaked. She started to pant and look around the room. "Hey, you okay?"

Gamora nodded. She was so embarrassed that Peter saw her having a nightmare, especially since it was about him. "I just had a nightmare. Really, i'm alright."

Peter stared at her. "I heard you saying my name. Was it really serious?"

Gamora sighed and shook her head. "This is so embarrassing. Yes, it was about you and yes, it was very serious."

"Why are you embarrassed?" He chuckled and quickly returned to being serious.

"You would understand if you were in my position."

"I know. Being raised to be an assassin, not really fun."

"Tell me about it. I used to have nightmares all of the time, all of my...siblings would laugh when I awoke. I'd get a beating each time I cried, whether it was in my sleep or not."

"Talk about shitty parenting. You deserve much more than that." He sat next to her on the bed.

"Thanks, Peter but, after all I've done-"

"No. Don't talk like that anymore." He said in a stern voice. He gripped her shoulders firmly but, not tight enough to where it hurt. "I forbid it. As your awesome leader and friend, I order you to not talk such none sense." He said, partially joking.

"Jesus, you sound like Drax." Gamora chuckled. She starting cracking her fingers and stared off into space without noticing Peter still being there and staring into her eyes.

"Gamora?"

She snapped back into reality and looked at Peter. "Yes?"

He looked at her hair, which was in sloppy braid with loose hairs sticking out on both sides. He turned to her back and took her hair out of the braid. Gamora was about to asked what he was doing, but him playing with her hair felt so good. She hummed and leaned into his touch. He smiled softly and started to re-braid it. His touch was gentle, unlike his roughhousing, childlike nature. Her heart started to race with each strand of hair he grabbed. She wasn't sure what the feeling was but, in a way she kind of liked it. She then started to realize something. Was she falling, falling for Peter? No, it couldn't be. There's no such thing as love. Such nonsense does not exist. Then again, what if it did? Peter had finished braided her hair and turned to face her.

"There." He said with a proud smile. "You look-" He thought about what happened the last time he called her beautiful. He did not want to make that same mistake.

"Beautiful?" Gamora asked.

"Um...yes." He replied in shock. "You aren't going to hit me?"

"I'll think about it." She said with a chuckle.

He chuckled along with her. He felt awkward just sitting there though. He started to get up. "Well, if you don't need anything else, i'm going to head back to bed." He said gesturing to the door with his thumb.

"Oh, yes. Of course." Gamora gave him a soft but, hurt smile. "Peter?" She called to him, right before he started to exit. He turned around to her, raising an eyebrow. "Um, can you-" She thought about her choice of words. "You know what, nevermind. It was stupid, anyway."

Peter looked at her in confusion. "No, i'm sure it wasn't stupid. What'd ya want?"

She played with her fingers, obviously looking nervous. Wait, since when was Gamora, the deadliest woman in the galaxy, nervous? "Peter, I am going to admit something to you and if you tell the others about it, I will snap your neck." Ah, there she was. Peter seemed nervous at the threat, but walked over to her. "Peter, I have a...fear."

Peter let out a snort, but, then quickly regretted it. "Sorry." Gamora rolled her eyes. "Gam," She gave him a death stare at the name. "Gamora, you don't need to be embarrassed about that either. Everyone has fears. It's nothing to feel ashamed of. Now, what's your fear?"

Gamora took in a deep breath. "I'm afraid of losing you." She regretted what she said, but added on. "And of course, the rest of the Guardians; Rocket, Groot, Drax." He looked at her with an expressionless face. _'Oh shit, I broke him.'_ She thought. "But, for some reason, I feel like I've grown closest to you. Peter, yes, of course they understand me, but, you, I don't know what the word is." Peter was confused. She took his hand and held it, as she bit her lip trying to think of the word. "Care? I mean they care, too. It just seems like you care about me more than anyone else."

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"What do you mean?"

"You know why!"

"Gamora, you know I've never judged you for who you were before. Why do you think I would?"

"Everyone else does."

"Since when do you care what other people think about you?

"I don't know it's stupid."

"You shouldn't."

"I really don't care as much as what they think as I do with you. I don't want to lose you."

"I don't want to lose you either and we won't I promise."

Gamora was silent for a moment. "Peter?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you stay with me until I fall asleep? I'm-"

"Afraid?" Gamora nodded silently, embarrassed, as she felt defeated. "Of course." The two toss and turned until they found a comfortable position. They were facing each other. Peter was practically hugging her, Gamora's head on his chest. He had his left arm under her neck, playing with her hair. His other arm around her middle, holding her close. "Always." He whispered in her ear. She smiled and nuzzled into him. Soon, Gamora was passed out in his arms. It was the best feeling in the world. He didn't know why he felt like this. It was probably because she was unlike any woman he met. Was it true? Was he fooling around and falling in love? Either way, he knew he would be making his mother proud, no longer sleeping with random girls and leaving the next morning. He gave Gamora a soft butterfly kiss on her cheek. He saw her smile get bigger. "I'm not letting you go, I promise." He hugged her closer. Yup, no way he was letting her go.


	3. The Siren Necklace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On a mission, the Guardians have to find a dangerous necklace that belongs to the Sirens. The only problem; Sirens attract men and lure them to their deaths.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I put a twist to the story, in which the Sirens are evil. I had also decided for them to live in a marshy area, therefore, I chose A-Chiltar as their home world.

Gamora's eyes flutter open as she notices the handsome man sound asleep next to her; his arm tangled in her hair and his other arm resting on her middle. They must have shifted in their sleep, because Gamora noticed she was even closer to Peter. His nose was nuzzled in her hair. She actually found it kinda...cute. Without realizing, she nuzzled more into his chest. Big mistake. She didn't move a muscle, as he opened his eyes and softly smiled at her. "Hey." He whispered, as he picked his head up enough to see her.

"Hey." She whispered back, still not moving.

"Sleep well?" Gamora nodded. "Good." Peter put his head back.

"Peter, friends can lay like this together and fall asleep, right?" Peter seemed hurt by those words. He was starting to think that he liked Gamora more than a friend. Oh, the hell with it. Who was he kidding? He didn't think he liked Gamora that way, he knew he did. He may even lov-. He couldn't even finish the word for some reason.

"Oh, yeah. We do it all the time." He said awkwardly, clearing his throat. He could see the hurt in her eyes, as well. Did she feel the same? At some points if felt like it, but, at other times, it seemed as if she hated his ass.

"Well, um, we should probably get up. Don't want to get teased by Rocket all day." Gamora said as she got out of bed.

Peter got up as well. Gamora had just noticed that he wore nothing besides a pair of grey sweatpants. She glanced at his abs, then looked away quickly, trying to hide the blush from her cheeks. Peter smirked a little when he saw her blushing. Gamora, who was embarrassed, quickly stormed out of the room, leaving a smirking Peter watching her backside.

* * *

A few hours later, Peter had called the Guardians into the meeting area of the ship. He stood in front of a hologram, projecting an object that looked like a necklace with an object attached that resembled a scallop. Peter turned around, as the Guardians walked in. Everyone took their rightful seats and turned their attention towards Peter.

"We have just received a distress call from Nova Prime." Peter pointed to the object on the projection. "This is the Siren Necklace. Its use is to enable the weird, mermaid-looking folk, known as the Sirens, to use their voices to lure men to them and well...they kill them." Peter lost his train of thought, as shivered at the thought of being lured to death. "Anyways, Nova Prime had this object safely secured with the Nova Corps. and apparently, their security wasn't good enough, since it was stolen and returned to A-Chiltar. Now, the Sirens are, once again, luring men to their deaths. Prime wants us to safely return the necklace to them."

"How much are we talking here?" Rocket asked with a smirk.

Gamora rolled her eyes. "Does it matter?"

"Yeah, it does."

"I am Groot." Groot chimed in. He was now fully grown and able to help them on missions again.

"Stop lying. You care how much you get paid." Rocket snapped at him.

"Five hundred units. I figured that gives everyone, a hundred each." Peter finally announced.

"Really?" Rocket said with disappointment.

"Dude, they're still building like half of Xandar; of course we're not going to get paid a lot of units. The mission isn't even going to be that difficult."

"Peter, you're missing the point. The mission is more difficult than you think. Remember what you said? The part when you said that they lure men and kill them, with their voices? You also forgot that there are three men on this ship." Gamora said, looking into his eyes longer than necessary.

"Four! Groot's a guy, right?"

"I wasn't talking about Groot."

"I'm a guy!"

"Mm-hmm, sure."

"I do not understand, is Peter a male? Why are you assuming that he is otherwise?" Drax asked.

"Nevermind, it still doesn't matter. The point is, you guys need to be careful."

"Come on, I can withstand them." Gamora just glared at him. "Let's just get going, okay?"

* * *

Soon, the Guardians had finally landed on A-Chiltar. It was definitely a marshy planet. Most of the planet was covered with them. The sky was cloudy and there was fog everywhere, especially over the marshes. Trees with dangling vines covered most of the remaining land, which made it hard for Peter to land. Once they did, Peter immediately put on his headphones and started to head out with the rest of the guys, until a familiar touch stopped him.

"Peter, i'm serious; be careful." Gamora said with worry showing in her eyes.

"Don't worry, I will. By the way, I think it's really adorable how you care so much." That comment pissed Gamora off, as she punched him in the shoulder after he spoke. "Ow."

"I..I do care; all of the time. How dare you say that!" She stuttered. Why was she stuttering? She never stuttered.

"Never said you didn't and it was a compliment. You're so offensive all the time, you need to chill."

"No, Peter. I don't. Just be careful." She said quickly, before exiting the Milano.

* * *

Peter lead the Guardians to a marsh that was covered with the most fog. "So where is this necklace?" Rocket asked with disgust, as he looked at the dirty water that he could barely see. "Please don't tell me it's under there." Peter didn't respond. "Yo, Pete!" Rocket slapped his leg. Peter took the headphones off. "Where is the necklace, Dipshit?"

"Under the water. We need to swim underneath and grab it."

"Which I will do, on my own." Gamora added, as she put on a mask and started to walk into the marsh.

"Gamora, you're not doing this on your own." Peter called to her.

"Cover me." She responded before diving underwater.

"Gam!" Peter rolled his eyes. "Can't she listen for once."

_"I heard that!"_ A female voice said through his intercom.

"Maybe she is right, Quill. She will not be affected by the vocals of the Sirens. It will only be wise to have her retrieve it." Drax added.

Peter rolled his eyes and pressed a small button on his intercom, as he talked. "Just be careful, keep us updated and tell us when you need help."

_"Won't need it."_

Peter rolled his eyes again and signaled for the rest of the Guardians to get in their positions. Underneath the water, Gamora looked around for the necklace. So far, she hadn't seen a Siren yet, and she wanted to keep it that way. She eventually came across the necklace. It looked identical to the one Peter had projected on the hologram. The necklace laid on a stone pedestal that was covered in moss. She quickly grabbed it and started to return to the surface.

_"Peter, I got it. I'm heading up."_

"Okay. Any Sirens?"

_"No, shockingly."_

Peter turned to the Guardians. "Something isn't right." He pressed the button again on his intercom. "Keep you're eyes peeled, you don't know when a Siren will appear." Before Drax could ask, Peter held up a hand. "Idiom, Drax."

_"Peter, I will. Stop worry-"_ A gasp came through Peter's intercom, then static.

"Gamora? Gam? Hello? Gamora!" Peter ran towards the water. He took his jacket off and jumped into the marsh.

"He's going to frickin' kill himself because of the love he has for Green Girl!" Rocket exclaimed, running his claws through his fur.

* * *

Under the water, Gamora was caught by surprise, when a Siren grabbed her leg. She whipped around as the intercom flew out of her ear and landed on the floor of the marsh. She grabbed her Godslayer and swung it at the Siren, still keeping a tight grip on the necklace. The Siren dodged it and let out a screech. It dove towards her. Gamora dodged it, dropping her Godslayer. "Shit!" She exclaimed. She dove down to get it. As she reached for it, she realized she'd dropped her com and it broke. "This day couldn't get any worse." Then again, it could. Out of nowhere, the Siren scratched Gamora's leg. She screamed in pain and dropped her Godslayer again. She kicked the Siren, trying to forget about the throbbing pain coming from the bottom of her opposite leg. But just as she least expected it, another Siren cut the strap of her mask and it fell off. The more she tried to fight them off, the more came. She was running out of time and breath, so she started to swim back to the surface, leaving her Godslayer at the bottom of the marsh. She had been in the water for five minutes already without a mask and she started to lose consciousness. _'I have to keep my eyes open. I have to keep going. I have to give this to Peter. Peter, I have to-'_ Before she could finish her thought, everything went black.

"Gamora? Gamora!" Peter yelled through his mask and music. Thank God his Walkman and headphones were waterproof. He finally found her slowly sinking to the bottom, with a gaping gash on her leg, as the Sirens started to surround her. He took out one of his quad blasters and blasted towards the Sirens, scaring them away. He swam towards Gamora, picking her up, bridal style and grabbing her Godslayer along the way.

Once they got to the surface, Peter laid her on the ground. He pressed the button on the side of his mask, revealing his face. "Here! Get this to the ship and get it running!" He ordered as he threw the necklace to Rocket. Rocket nodded and ran to the ship, Groot and Drax following behind him. Peter checked her breathing. She wasn't. His heart started to race, as he checked for her pulse. There was one, but it was weak. "Jesus Gamora, don't leave me!" He began chest compressions. Still not breathing. "You're gonna kill for this if...when you wake up." He tilted her head back and plugged her nose. He put his mouth to hers and breathed into her. She still wasn't breathing. He tried again. Still, nothing. Peter started to give chest compressions again. "Come on, Gam. Just frickin' breathe!" A faint coughing came from the body below him. He stopped compressions and watched her cough up water. "Gam."

"Peter? You saved my life." She said in a hoarse voice.

"I know. I have to admit you scared me there."

Gamora chuckled weakly and suddenly, screeched in pain. Crap, she forgot about that.

Peter looked over at her leg; it was bleeding severely. "Jesus, Gamora. What the hell happened?"

"I got scratched by that son of a bitch."

Peter had to admit those ugly-ass mermaids had some pretty frickin' sharp talons, that they have for nails. So sharp, that even a person, as strong and stable as Gamora, couldn't handle the pain that came from it. "You're gonna need that checked out." He said. Peter ran over to his jacket and brought it back to Gamora. He ripped off part of the fabric, inside and tied it tightly around Gamora's wound. She cried out in agony.

"Peter-" She panted. "Your jacket."

"It's fine. I needed a new one anyway." He gave her a weak smile and carefully picked her up, bridal style, carrying her to the ship.


	4. Wounded

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After bringing Gamora to the hospital, Peter can't find it in himself to leave her.

Peter hated hospitals. His past experiences have not gone so well. The last person he waited for in a hospital had died in a manner of minutes. That being his own mother. So far, it wasn't so bad. Xandarian hospitals were a lot different from Terran hospitals. They were more technological and advanced. If you were waiting for someone in surgery, and you had permission, they would allow you to see them through the one way glass that separated the patients and doctors from the visitors. Other than that, nothing was new. You could hear the beeping from other rooms, intercoms going on and off, doctors yelling orders around and the screams and cries of agony when visitors realize that the patient they were waiting for had passed on. He really wanted to leave, he truly did. He didn't feel comfortable here, but this was Gamora. The person who has risked her life multiple times for him, the person who always deals with his obnoxious attitude and irritating flirts. The only woman who ever succeeded at seeing him for who he really was and accepting it. The only woman who would ever give him a second chance. He couldn't leave her.

They had reached the hospital on Xandar about a day after the incident. Gamora was unconscious when they brought her in and lost too much blood. At first, the doctors had almost lost hope, seeing the amount of blood she had lost. But, Gamora was a fighter. She'd pull through, right? It had been three days since her surgery and she was still unconscious. Peter hadn't left her side, since.

He knew what he was doing was unhealthy; he didn't sleep or eat anything. He just sat in the same plastic, white chair, that was next to Gamora's hospital bed, and waited for her to awaken. He couldn't stand to see her so...weak. She was always a warrior, a fighter. She was always so headstrong and passionate, but now, she wasn't, or at least it looked that way. Peter grabbed her hand and rubbed his thumb across the back of it.

As for Rocket, Groot, and Drax; they needed money. They may have accidentally gambled it all away at a bar that was close to the hospital. They decided that while Peter stayed with Gamora, they would regain the units they lost, somehow...

* * *

It wasn't until later that night, when Peter was asleep, when he felt something shifting around in the bed. He opened his eyes and saw Gamora wide awake and looking at him. She slowly lowered her gaze to their intertwined hands. To his surprise, she squeezed his hand softly, instead of pulling it away. "Hey." She whispered.

"Hey, Sleeping Beauty." He greeted back with a chuckle. She raised a weak hand to his head and slapped him. "Ow."

"Got anything else idiotic to say?" She asked with a small laugh.

"Yes, actually." She rolled her eyes playfully. "You see when I saved you, I had to give you mouth to mouth and I thought I would've been dead by now." She slapped him weakly again. "Ow, or that."

She chuckled a little. "Thank you."

"Thank you? Why are you thanking me? This is the part where you put your precious knife to my throat and accuse me of using, wait what do you call it? Pelvic sorcery?"

Gamora chuckled again. "No. You saved my life and i'm grateful for that. Thank you, Peter." She gazed into his eyes unsure of what she was about to do was right or wrong. She decided to do it anyway. Gamora sat up weakly, leaned in and gave Peter a butterfly kiss on his cheek. Then, slowly, she planted an actual kiss there. She slowly sat back down.

"Gamora? Did you just kiss me?" Peter asked rhetorically with a wide smirk across his face.

"I didn't kiss you. I merely showed my profound gratitude." She replied with just as big of a smirk.

"Then, what do you call that?"

"A friendly gesture."

"Can you remind me what a kiss is? I forgot?" Peter asked leaning into Gamora. She started to lean in as well. Their lips were merely centimeters apart when-

"Hey, hey! We got units!" Rocket yelled, as he barged into the room.

Peter and Gamora slowly backed away from each other.

"Units for you." Rocket threw units at Groot. "And you." And Drax. "And you." And Peter. "And, hey Gamora! You're awake! Isn't this great? We just made a ton of units!"

"Is Rocket drunk?" Peter asked Drax.

"I am afraid so." Drax muttered under his breath, shaking his head.

"Rocket! Go to bed!" Gamora yelled.

"Ugh, fine. But, only because we're CELEBRATING!" Rocket walked out of the room. "Woo!" He yelled from across the hall.

"I will make sure he gets to the Milano." Drax whispered, following the very intoxicated raccoon.

"I am Groot." Groot said following the two.

The automatic door finally closed.

"Where were we?" Peter asked, as he started to lean into Gamora, again.

Gamora laid down and rolled over to the other side, ignoring the pain in her leg. "I'm tired. Goodnight, Peter."

"Wait, what just happened?"

"I said goodnight, Peter." Gamora closed her eyes.

"What's going on right now?"

"Peter, shut up and go to sleep!" She snapped.

"Fine." He responded, clearly getting hurt.

Gamora was almost in tears. Why did she just do that? She knows Peter loves her, but when he tried to kiss her, why did she refuse? She regretted what she did. She regretted _everything_ she did to him; when she put the knife to his throat on Knowhere, the numerous times she punched, kicked, and hit him and those numerous times she felt like she was ready to tell him how she really felt towards him, but didn't have the guts to do so. What if he's the same 'Star-Lord' she was told about before she left the Dark Aster to find him? The same womanizing 'Star-Lord'? What if he's just being kind to her so he could use his pelvic sorcery on her? However, he forgave her for her past mistakes. She should forgive him. Then it finally came to her; the reason why she cared so much, the reason why it'd hurt to hurt him, the reason why her heart always felt like it would sink to her stomach when Peter was crowded with beautiful exotic girls, it was because she loved him. But it wasn't just that; she was in love with him. But, did she even know what love was? She would tell Peter soon, about her feelings, she would. It was just a matter of _when_.


	5. Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Gamora returns to the Milano, she is told to stay on bed rest until her wound is almost fully healed. Staying still for a few weeks is not one of her favorite things to do.

Two days after Gamora regained consciousness, she was finally allowed to be discharged. She was finally allowed to go home and she was grateful for that. The only downside was, she needed to stay on bed rest until her leg wound had been close to being fully healed, which was hard for Gamora, since she had a hard time staying still as it is.

A few hours of lying in bed already and she started to get restless. It was night and likely that most of the Guardians were sleeping. Now was her time to get out of bed and walk around for a little while. She pulled off the white sheet that she was lightly covered up with and slowly swung her legs to the side of the bed. Gamora slowly stood up and immediately fell onto her hands and knees. She flinched at the pain coming from her leg. She knew it was idiotic but, she had to get out of her stupid cabin. Gamora managed to pushed herself back up onto her feet and limp to the door. She pushed the button that opened the door and exited into the hall.

* * *

She crept over to the living area, flinching with every step she took. It wasn't too surprising at what she found; Peter dancing around with his headphones on. Gamora smiled and leaned back against the wall, watching him foolishly dancing around. But her smiling soon ended when Peter noticed her presence. _'Oh shit, he saw me. I knew this was a horrible idea.'_ She thought, as Peter walked over to her.

"Gamora, what are you doing up so late?" He asked, taking his headphones off.

"I could ask the same about you." She responded with a shrug.

"More importantly, why aren't you in bed?" He asked rhetorically, ignoring her previous comment. "You're supposed to be on bed rest."

Gamora threw her hands up in the air. "Maybe, because it's so tedious lying in bed all day!" She snapped.

Suddenly, pools of blood started to seep through the gauze on her leg. Peter noticed it right away. "Jesus, Gamora!" He advanced closer towards her and picked her up, bridal style, carrying her towards the bathroom.

"Peter, what the hell are you doing?" Gamora asked, trying to escape from Peter's tight grasp.

Peter sat her down on top of the toilet seat. "God dammit, look at your leg!" He yelled as he rummaged through the cabinets.

Gamora looked down at her leg. She saw the red liquid seeping through the gauze and gasped. Peter pulled out a needle, thread, gauze, a bottle of isopropyl alcohol, a pair of medical scissors, medical tape and a washcloth. He knelt down to Gamora and cut open the old gauze on her leg. Then, he poured some of the isopropyl alcohol into the washcloth.

"This is going to sting." Peter stated, before dabbing the gash on Gamora's leg with the washcloth. She flinched and subconsciously placed her hands on Peter's. She looked down at their hands but, didn't move them. Peter eventually moved his to grab the needle and thread off of the counter, leaving Gamora staring at the floor. "Ready?" He asked. Gamora nodded and grabbed a hold of the the toilet seat. When Peter started to push the needle through her skin, Gamora started to bite her tongue to prevent from screaming out in agony. Eventually, the stitches were firmly secured into Gamora's skin. Peter grabbed the gauze off of the sink and wrapped it around her leg. He quickly secured it with a piece of medical tape and sat up; his face inches away from Gamora's.

"Gamora, I-" Before Peter could finish his sentence, Gamora gently grabbed both of his cheeks and pulled him closer towards her. Then, without a warning, she planted a quick, delicate kiss on Peter's lips.

"Sorry."

Peter kissed her back, but more passionately. After what felt like hours, they pulled apart for air; their foreheads touching. "No reason to apologize." Gamora laughed. "Want to talk about what just happened?" She nodded. Peter picked her up and carried her to her room, trying to prevent her from tearing her stitches again.

* * *

He sat her gently down on her bed. She laid down on her side, while Peter climbed in next to her, starting to run his fingers through her tangled hair.

"Peter,-" She whispered. "I think I like you more than just a friend." She smiled, leaning into his touch. Peter could tell she was nervous telling him how she really felt about him. He smiled back. "You treat me differently than others. You care about me. You've saved my life more times than I care to admit. You make me laugh and smile when i'm upset." She sat up a little and gazed into Peter's eyes. "Peter, I think I love you...but, I don't know what love is." _'What do you mean you think? You know you love him!'_ She thought.

Peter continued running his fingers through her hair. "Well, from what I know, love is when you care deeply for someone and you don't want to lose them. There's different types of love though. You have mutual love, which is the type of love you have for your friends and family. And then there's another type of love that means so much more. I don't know much about that kind of love, but, what I do know is that I didn't know that it existed at all, until I met you. Gamora, it's like you completely turned my life around. I used to be this womanizing thief that could care less about half the shit that happened to the galaxy and then, you came in and you showed me a new way of life; you showed me that I could be a better person. The time I spent with the Ravengers, made me into something i'm not and when I met you, you showed me that, that person who I was then, wasn't the person I was supposed to be. Listen, to be honest, I don't really know a frickin' thing about relationships, but, I do know one thing; I'm madly in love with you and I promise,-" He stopped playing with her hair and grabbed one of her hands with both of his. "I will never hurt you. You mean so much more to me than all of those other girls combined." He pulled back one of his hands and loosely intertwined the other with hers.

"I know. I just have one question; why did you use those other girls and leave them behind the next day?" She asked, still gazing into his eyes.

"Because after my mom...um, she had this Terran disease called cancer. It was like something was eating her from the inside, slowing making its way out." Tears started to build up in Peter's eyes. Gamora placed her free hand on Peter's cheek and stroked it with her thumb. "Then, eventually, it did make its way out, and she...died."

"Peter, I don't-" Gamora said as tears began to build up in her eyes, as well.

"I'm not done." He interrupted. "Then, after that, I didn't want to get hurt that badly ever again. I wanted to have the fun of a relationship, but, I didn't want to become attached. I knew that if I ever loved anyone, they would either get killed by people who hated me, or they would leave me. I didn't want that to happen and I thought it would be better if I lived and traveled on my own, but I was wrong. And then, there was that day on Xandar; the day I met you and I knew I was screwed. As the song once said; I fooled around and fell in love; and that person I fell in love with Gamora...that was you." A tear fell down to Gamora's cheek, as she wrapped her arms around Peter.

"Out of all the girls in the galaxy, why me?" She muttered into his shirt.

"I love you because you actually put effort into me." Peter started to say, as he thought back to the first time they met. "I love you because nobody has ever given me the love that you have given me and you are the only one who could ever love me this way." He thought back to when Gamora told him to be careful right before they left the Milano to retrieve the Siren necklace. "I love you because you always make me feel like i'm worth something." He thought back to the time when Gamora called him a 'Man of Honor'. "I love you because you have a nurturing nature and you take care of me." He thought back to the time Gamora gave him stitches when he got caught in the middle of a bar fight. "I love you because you made me smile when I almost forgotten how to." He thought back to when he first played Awesome Mix Vol. 2 and Gamora started to dance with him. "I love you because you have a huge and honest heart of gold." He thought back to when Gamora insisted that they should give the Orb to Nova Prime and save Xandar. "I love you and every little detail about you and nothing will change that."

After hearing his short speech, Gamora hugged him tighter, as if he was going to disappear; but he wasn't. He stayed with her the rest of that night. They talked and laughed and listened to Peter's music, until the both of them fall asleep; Gamora's back against Peter's stomach, Gamora using their intertwined hands as a pillow and Peter's remaining arm secured around Gamora's stomach. They slept peacefully, in that position for the rest of the night, smiling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last speech Peter makes to Gamora came from an image I saw on Google.


	6. Dangerous

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter finds out about a secret Gamora has been keeping from him.

"Hello? Snap outta it!"

Gamora and Peter quickly snapped out of their gazes and turned their attention towards Rocket.

"Like I was saying, it's almost been weeks since our last mission; the time when Gamora almost got killed." Gamora turned away in embarrassment. "Listen, we're almost outta units, we need to find a job!" He shouted as he stood on top of the crate his was sitting on. Peter nodded and grabbed Gamora's hand.

"Remember, it's not your fault." He whispered into her ear. He stood up, still holding onto Gamora's hand. "Alright!" He shouted. "This is what we're gonna do; I haven't told you guys about it yet, but Nova Prime gave us a mission. I wanted to keep it on the DL until, I had the chance to talk to you guys."

Drax furrowed his brows in confusion. "What is a DL? Some type of table?"

Peter chuckled a little. "No, it means I kept it a secret."

Rocket threw his hands up in the air. "Oh, you kept another secret from us?" He crossed his arms, as Peter looked at him in confusion. "First, you don't tell us about your secret romance with Gams,-" Peter was about to say something when Rocket interrupted him. "Yeah, didn't think I'd notice that one, huh?" He tried to say something again, but Rocket held his hand out. "Now, you're keeping more secrets from us? What the hell happened to the 'we don't keep secrets from each other' deal, Quill?"

"Rocket, shut up! Peter and I were going to tell you guys about us, but we haven't really gotten around to it." Gamora said, as she looked at Peter.

"Furthermore, did you guys ever think about how we felt about this whole 'you two dating' thing?"

"Rocket-"

"Shut it, Drax." Rocket turned to Gamora. "If this retard ever hurts you, which we all know will happen, sooner or later, it will jeopardize the whole team!"

"Rocket! Will you stop thinking about yourself, for once? Have you ever thought that maybe Peter has changed?" Gamora finally snapped at him.

"No, people never change! And will you stop calling him, Peter? It's really annoying that you're the only one who calls him that."

"Screw you, Rodent." Gamora muttered under her breath as she left the living area. He winced at the name she called him.

"Gamora!" Peter called out after. "Way to go, Rocket." Rocket looked away. "Gamora, wait up!" He ran after her.

"I am Groot?" Groot asked placing a branch on Rocket's shoulder.

"What happened? What happened is that I screwed up." He walked over to the fridge, grabbed a bottle of wine and started to chug it. Drax walked over and sat next to him on the ground.

"Rocket, you need to apologize."

"Why? All I did was tell them how I felt." He said before finishing the bottle. Rocket started to grab another bottle, when Drax blocked him from the fridge. "Hey? What the hell, man?"

"Drinking will not help, my friend. It will only make manners worse. Do you ever think maybe Gamora is correct? I believe Quill makes her happy."

Rocket stopped trying to reach for the wine and slumped down to the ground. "Yeah, for now. Do you even remember what Quill was like, before we met him? When I first saw him, he was making goo-goo eyes with a pink lady."

"Krylorian?"

Rocket threw his hands up in the air. "It doesn't matter. If Quill hurts her, she'll leave. It won't be the same without her."

"That is not true, my friend." Drax put a shoulder on Rocket. "I can assure you they will keep their personal and profession lives separate from each other."

Rocket scowled. "Fine. I'll apologize." He stood up and pointed to Groot. "But, only because he'll hate me if I don't."

"I am Groot." Groot singsonged, as Rocket walk away.

"Shut up, Groot!" Rocket yelled from the hall.

* * *

**Meanwhile:**

"Gam!" Peter finally managed to catch up to her. He grabbed a hold of her arm, as she spun around.

"Peter, let go!" She spat through her teeth, trying to pull away from him.

"No!" He yelled. "I'm not letting go."

Gamora stopped pulling away from him, as a tear fell down her cheek. "Peter,-"

"What?" He whispered.

"Maybe...maybe,-"

"Gamora, what's wrong?"

"Maybe, Rocket is right." She finally blurted.

"Gamora, what are you talking about?"

"Maybe, this was a mistake." She whispered, with hurt in her voice. She looked up at Peter, who had the same amount of hurt in his eyes.

"Gamora, I-"

"No, Peter. You don't love me. You think you do, but you don't."

"I told you, you aren't like those other girls. I won't hurt you." Gamora didn't say anything. "This isn't about what Rocket said, is it?"

"It's not you i'm worried about, I trust you. It's Thanos I don't trust." She was silent for a moment. "Maybe, this whole thing was a mistake. I don't deserve happiness, I don't deserve Rocket, or Groot, or Drax. I don't deserve you." She didn't know she was sobbing until she felt the salty wetness on her cheeks.

"Don't say that. Gamora, I haven't heard you talk like this in a while. What's going on?"

"Peter, Nebula's back and she left me a message. It wasn't good either. For some reason, she went back to Thanos."

"What did she say?"

"She said it was either me or you. I told her it was me. I've been happy long enough Peter." She gave him a weak smile. "Thank you." She kissed him softly on his lips. "But, I can't bare the thought of her hurting you. I have to leave."

"Gamora, no. I won't let you." He grabbed her hand.

"You can't stop me, Peter." She let go of his hand and turned towards her cabin. "Drop me off at the next planet."

"No." He snapped. "I'm not letting you do this. I love you too much."

Gamora turned to him. "Well then, stop loving me." She entered her cabin and locked the door.

Peter turned around with tears in his eyes to see a very upset raccoon standing behind him.

"Pete, I-" Rocket watched Peter walk around him and enter the bathroom. His ears fell, as he walked back towards the living area.

* * *

Gamora slid down her door and wept into her knees. "What did I do to deserve this?" She whispered to herself. "Not only did I lose my family and my home, but I lost the only man, I ever loved." She stood up, walked over to her dresser and grabbed the data-pad off of it. She looked at it for a moment, before throwing it at the mirror in front of her, watching both of the objects shatter into pieces. Then, she did something she hadn't done in a while; she broke down in tears.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To be Continued...


End file.
